'''Little Havana''' is located just west of downtown [[Miami]]. It is also referred to as the Latin quarter. It was primarily a Cuban neighborhood from the 1970's until the the 1990's, but now consists of many Central and South Americans. There is even an area referred to as Little Managua. It used to be a dangerous area (at least more than it is today). It has many authentic Latin shops & restaurants. The population speaks Spanish almost completely, but there are many bilingual speaking persons as well. It also hosts the annual Calle Ocho parade, the largest street festival in the world. Calle Ocho, which is Spanish for eight street, has many shops and restaurants, a perfect experience for tourists visiting the city to get an authentic feel of Latin American culture. It is advised to not wander into the neighborhoods at night, especially East Little Havana (17 Ave East) because of high crime rates and gang problems.

'''Little Havana''' is located just west of [[Downtown Miami]]. Also known as the Latin Quarter, it received its name by being a Cuban neighborhood from the 1970s until the 1990s, but now consists of many Central and South Americans. Its main drag is along 8th St or '''Calle Ocho''', where authentic Latin shops and restaurants abound and the majority of the population speak entirely in Spanish. Each year, the neighborhood hosts the annual Calle Ocho parade, the largest street festival in the world. Although the area is far less dangerous today than in its past, don't wander into the neighborhoods late at night, particularly East Little Havana (east of 17th Ave) where high crime rates and gang activity is still a concern.

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==Understand==

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==Get in==

==Get in==

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As you can figure out from its name, it is a representation of the capital city of Cuba in Miami. Little Havana[http://www.miamihabitat.com/Little-Havana-miami-neighborhoods_en.asp] is a very Cuban part of the city and has a lot of charm and interest. If you have never visited Cuba, which is probably the case, it is as close as it gets. Sounds, tastes and rhythms are Cubans; speaking Spanish is a definite plus. Having a "deadly" strong coffee in a Cuban coffee shop after a rich lunch or dinner in inexpensive but good quality Miami restaurants is a must as well. We suggest the "Versailles". The people-watching scene is exceptional with old Cubans playing Dominos and smoking cigars. Calle Ocho as it is called is not to be missed.

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The easiest and most convenient way of getting to Little Havana is by car, where street parking is plentiful and affordable. However, public transit options also exist. MetroRail does not go through Little Havana, but there are a handful of bus routes that do.

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Little Havana (Spanish: La Pequeña Habana) is an ethnic enclave in Miami, Florida, with many Cuban immigrant residents. Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city in Cuba. The high number of Cuban refugees in Miami is due to its proximity to Cuba. Little Havana is famous as the cultural and political capital of Cuban Americans, and the Miami neighborhood is a center of the Cuban exile community.

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===By bus===

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You can take the #6, #7, #8, #11, #207, or #208 buses from [[Downtown Miami]]. The #11, #207, and #208 can be picked up at the Government Center MetroRail/MetroMover station, and the #6 and #8 can be picked up near the Brickell MetroRail/MetroMover station. The #7 bus comes from [[Downtown Miami]], stopping at the College North MetroMover station and the Overtown MetroRail station.

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See this map for more information. [http://www.miamidade.gov/transit/library/system-maps-web.pdf]

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In recent years increasing numbers of Nicaraguan, and Puerto Rican immigrants have moved into the neighborhood, as increasing numbers of Cubans leave the area for the suburbs in western Miami and southwest Broward County. Part of Little Havana is now occasionally referred to as Little Managua after Managua, the Nicaraguan capital, although the city of Sweetwater several miles to the west is more popularly known as Little Managua due to its higher concentration of Nicaraguan Americans.

*<see name="Gomez Park" alt="Domino Park" address="Calle Ocho and 15th Ave" directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">A small park at the intersection of Calle Ocho and SW 15th Ave, named in honor of Maximo Gomez, the commander of the Cuban troops during its War of Independence in the late 19th century. 15th Ave between Calle Ocho and 9th St is paved with a beautiful wavy brick pattern with images of dominoes, and there are domino motifs throughout the design of the park, which owe its influence to the large crowd of 55-year-old-and-up men who gather here every day to play this and other tabletop games. In case you're wondering: yes, they do card. Visitors, of course, are welcome to observe the greatest center of public street life in Little Havana.</see>

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*<see name="Cuban Memorial Boulevard" alt="" address="Calle Ocho and SW 13th Ave." directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">The median along this boulevard is home to many statues and monuments, including an eternal flame burning in memory of the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, a statue commemorating Bay of Pigs brigade member Nestor 'Tony' Izquierdo, a large relief map of Cuba with a quote by Cuban independence leader José Martí, and many others. If you look carefully at the massive ceiba tree located here, with its large, above-ground roots, you might see piles or bags of chicken bones, which are ritual sacrifices by practitioners of the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria.</see>

==Do==

==Do==

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Take a Miami food tour (www.miamiculinarytours.com), and explore the flavors of Little Havana. Food tasting tours of Cuban comfort foods with an American culinary inspiration. In this educational tour attendees learn the diversity of Cuban cuisine by tasting small bites in 6 different locations.

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*'''[http://www.miamiculinarytours.com Little Havana Food Tour]'''- Meet in Little Havana, a lively, family-friendly neighborhood, and begin a guided edible journey through one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods. Learn about traditional, rustic Cuban cuisine by tasting your way through the must-visit street in the area — Calle Ocho.

==Buy==

==Buy==

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*'''La Casa de las Guayaberas''', 5840 Southwest 8th St., ''+1 305'' 266-9683 – A store where you can find guayaberas (a Cuban shirt that has buttons but a loose fit and pleats) for men and women. Ronald Reagan came to this store himself to buy a guayabera. Shirts can be bought off the rack or custom-tailored.

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*<buy name="Lily's Records" alt="" address="1260 SW 8th Street" directions="" phone="(305) 856-0536" url="http://www.lilymusic.com/" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Touted as Miami's most complete Latin music stores, this is one of five locations in Miami but the only one in Little Havana. The collection is large; it is a good place to find salsa music or a nice set of bongos.</buy>

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*<buy name="Back In Style Vintage & Designer Clothing & Accessories" alt="for Women & Men" address="2209 SW 10 St" directions="" phone="1-866-642-6426" url="http://www.backinstyle.com/" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">Back In Style is a vintage & designer clothing & accessories showroom that is open select hours, or by appointment. Please call ahead. Named one of the top 5 vintage websites in the world by Vogue Russia, over the past 10 years Back In Style has supplied clothing to celebrities, magazines, television, and couture fashion houses. Their pieces have been featured in international publications such as Vogue, Lucky Magazine, UK Grazia, Daily Candy, Marie Claire, Supermodels Unlimited, & Six Degrees, and their gowns have been worn on the red carpet at the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes and People’s Choice Awards. Clients include Chloe Sevigny, Daisy Fuentes, Tila Tequila, Julia Roberts, and James Scott. Back-in-Style.com has a wide variety of items as old as the 1940’s, and as current as today, ranging from hard to find couture designers, to unique novelty items and period pieces.</buy>

==Eat==

==Eat==

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Sedanos market is the place to go for dining needs. Also try Tamiami Inn's homemade style meatball chowder.

Revision as of 23:08, 9 June 2014

Gomez Park, or Domino Park, along Calle Ocho in Little Havana

Little Havana is located just west of Downtown Miami. Also known as the Latin Quarter, it received its name by being a Cuban neighborhood from the 1970s until the 1990s, but now consists of many Central and South Americans. Its main drag is along 8th St or Calle Ocho, where authentic Latin shops and restaurants abound and the majority of the population speak entirely in Spanish. Each year, the neighborhood hosts the annual Calle Ocho parade, the largest street festival in the world. Although the area is far less dangerous today than in its past, don't wander into the neighborhoods late at night, particularly East Little Havana (east of 17th Ave) where high crime rates and gang activity is still a concern.

Contents

Understand

Get in

The easiest and most convenient way of getting to Little Havana is by car, where street parking is plentiful and affordable. However, public transit options also exist. MetroRail does not go through Little Havana, but there are a handful of bus routes that do.

By bus

You can take the #6, #7, #8, #11, #207, or #208 buses from Downtown Miami. The #11, #207, and #208 can be picked up at the Government Center MetroRail/MetroMover station, and the #6 and #8 can be picked up near the Brickell MetroRail/MetroMover station. The #7 bus comes from Downtown Miami, stopping at the College North MetroMover station and the Overtown MetroRail station.
See this map for more information. [1]

The #7, #37 and #42 buses come from Miami International Airport.

See

Gomez Park (Domino Park), Calle Ocho and 15th Ave. A small park at the intersection of Calle Ocho and SW 15th Ave, named in honor of Maximo Gomez, the commander of the Cuban troops during its War of Independence in the late 19th century. 15th Ave between Calle Ocho and 9th St is paved with a beautiful wavy brick pattern with images of dominoes, and there are domino motifs throughout the design of the park, which owe its influence to the large crowd of 55-year-old-and-up men who gather here every day to play this and other tabletop games. In case you're wondering: yes, they do card. Visitors, of course, are welcome to observe the greatest center of public street life in Little Havana.

Cuban Memorial Boulevard, Calle Ocho and SW 13th Ave.. The median along this boulevard is home to many statues and monuments, including an eternal flame burning in memory of the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, a statue commemorating Bay of Pigs brigade member Nestor 'Tony' Izquierdo, a large relief map of Cuba with a quote by Cuban independence leader José Martí, and many others. If you look carefully at the massive ceiba tree located here, with its large, above-ground roots, you might see piles or bags of chicken bones, which are ritual sacrifices by practitioners of the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria.

Do

Little Havana Food Tour- Meet in Little Havana, a lively, family-friendly neighborhood, and begin a guided edible journey through one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods. Learn about traditional, rustic Cuban cuisine by tasting your way through the must-visit street in the area — Calle Ocho.

Buy

La Casa de las Guayaberas, 5840 Southwest 8th St., +1 305 266-9683 – A store where you can find guayaberas (a Cuban shirt that has buttons but a loose fit and pleats) for men and women. Ronald Reagan came to this store himself to buy a guayabera. Shirts can be bought off the rack or custom-tailored.

Lily's Records, 1260 SW 8th Street, ☎(305) 856-0536, [2]. Touted as Miami's most complete Latin music stores, this is one of five locations in Miami but the only one in Little Havana. The collection is large; it is a good place to find salsa music or a nice set of bongos.

Back In Style Vintage & Designer Clothing & Accessories (for Women & Men), 2209 SW 10 St, ☎1-866-642-6426, [3]. Back In Style is a vintage & designer clothing & accessories showroom that is open select hours, or by appointment. Please call ahead. Named one of the top 5 vintage websites in the world by Vogue Russia, over the past 10 years Back In Style has supplied clothing to celebrities, magazines, television, and couture fashion houses. Their pieces have been featured in international publications such as Vogue, Lucky Magazine, UK Grazia, Daily Candy, Marie Claire, Supermodels Unlimited, & Six Degrees, and their gowns have been worn on the red carpet at the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes and People’s Choice Awards. Clients include Chloe Sevigny, Daisy Fuentes, Tila Tequila, Julia Roberts, and James Scott. Back-in-Style.com has a wide variety of items as old as the 1940’s, and as current as today, ranging from hard to find couture designers, to unique novelty items and period pieces.

Eat

Sedanos market is the place to go for dining needs. Also try Tamiami Inn's homemade style meatball chowder.

Versailles Restaurant and Bakery, 3501 SW 8th Street, ☎(305) 441-2500‎. A prominent gathering place and political forum for the Cuban-American community. The desserts here are delicious.